Such blow mould assemblies have been known from the prior art for a long time. These blow mould assemblies are components of blow stations, within which plastic preforms are expanded into plastic containers. To this end, these blow mould assemblies usually include a blow mould, the internal wall of which is adapted to the contour of the container to be produced. The preforms are expanded into plastic containers using air pressure.
The blow moulds are arranged here in blow mould carriers or mother moulds in a replaceable manner. This means that once these blow moulds have worn or also when a change to other types of containers is to be carried out, these blow moulds are removed from the blow mould carriers and are replaced with other blow moulds. This replacement of blow moulds is a relatively complex procedure in the prior art. Initially, several fastening screws have to be released and subsequently claws or locking clamps have to be pivoted in order to release the blow mould. The reassembling operation of the blow mould is also relatively complex. It may occur that during reassembly, the locking clamps hamper the process of inserting the blow moulds into the mould carrier or the mother mould and/or the mould shell, which has to be carried out first.
The present disclosure is primarily described with reference to the mounting or fastening of a blow mould on a mould carrier shell, however, it is to be noted that the disclosure is also applicable to the mounting of a blow mould on a mother mould, the mounting of a mother mould on a mould carrier shell or a blow mould carrier, and also to the mounting of a mould carrier shell or mother mould on a blow mould carrier. Therefore, apart from the terms mother mould, blow mould carrier or blow mould shell, also the term blow mould holder will be used below, which can refer both to a mother mould, a blow mould shell and to a blow mould carrier. In this connection, therefore, the term blow mould holder refers to an element which at least partially receives a further element, i.e. the blow mould holder is, for example, an element which receives a further element.
Further, apart from the terms blow mould, mother mould and mould carrier shell, also the term blow mould unit will be used, which can refer to both the blow mould and the mother mould as well as to the blow mould shell, each of which forms a cavity that is used for the expansion of the plastic preform. In the case of the mother mould or the blow mould shell, the cavity is used for receiving a blow mould and is therefore indirectly used for expanding the plastic preform. This means that the blow mould unit is, for example, a received element, more specifically an element that is disposed radially within the blow mould holder and is received by this blow mould holder.
DE 10 2005 035 233 A1 describes a device for retaining blow mould segments. Here, a latching member is provided which is formed both for providing a positive retention and also for providing a frictional retention of the blow mould segment. More specifically, a lever is provided by means of which a latching element can be displaced in order to release the latching of a blow mould. However, this device, too, may under certain circumstances hamper the insertion of blow mould segments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,472 B2 describes a quick-change blow mould assembly. This assembly, too, comprises a carrier plate and a blow mould half that can be fixed to the carrier plate.
It may therefore be desirable to simplify the assembly and disassembly of such blow mould units relative to the blow mould holders.